Vita, Amore, Destino
by hottygurl7
Summary: Vampires are unchanging and instinctual creatures. Humans are flighty and amendable. What happens when the two meet and develop a deep infatuation with each other? Maybe it's true how they say the road to Hell was paved with good intentions. FAGE4 contribution.
1. Chapter One

**FAGEtastic Four**

**Title: Vita, Amore, Destino**

**Written for: **lvtwilight09 aka Stephanie Lvt McNutty

**Written By: **hottygurl7 aka Missy Fanfic

**Rating: **NC-17, MA for Lemons, slash, and some violence.

**Summary:**Vampires are unchanging and instinctual creatures. Humans are flighty and amendable. What happens when the two meet and develop a deep infatuation with each other? Maybe it's true how they say the road to Hell was paved with good intentions.

**Prompt(s) used: **A college professor falls in love with their student. Photo prompt. Pairing request.

**Disclaimer:** _SM owns Twilight. I own a jammed pinky and a bum leg. You win this round, Mrs. Meyer. _

* * *

Looking at my new professor, I'm certain of the three following things.

One: The rest of my _family and I_ are vampires.

Two: I'm considered extremely rare and gifted as far as our kind are concerned, and I am somewhat coveted because of my gifts of shielding and seduction.

Three: I seriously need to get laid, and my new English professor, Mr. Cullen, looks good enough to eat.

* * *

_**Chapter One**_

_**-Bella POV- **_

Looking out the window of Alice's Thunderbird, I can't help but feel nostalgic.

I miss our previous home near Fairbanks, Alaska. I miss the beautiful landscapes and the Northern Lights in the sky at night. I miss the crispy snow and ice against my bare feet as I ran through the forest at twilight.

Carlisle, my father—for all intents and purposes—once told me that the safest time of day for our kind was twilight. And like the child that I am, I scoffed at the idea. Why would we need a dedicated time of day to feel safe? We're immortal. The highest of the highest on the food chain. The only thing we need to fear are others like us and fire.

Carlisle prefers to live in a familial lifestyle, and I had been living in a similar situation when he found me in Italy in 1796.

Maybe I should start at the beginning.

I was born in Marblehead, MA, in 1672 to Charles and Renee Swan. My mother died giving birth to me, and my father passed away on my thirteenth birthday of a severe case of measles. I had never really been close with my father. I thought maybe he resented me for my mother's death, and I always felt like maybe he held me at arm's length. He provided for me, but he was too afraid of getting too close to me.

After he died, I was shipped off to an orphanage near Salem, MA, not far from my childhood home. You would think that growing up in an orphanage would have been miserable and confining—being bossed around by nuns with whipping sticks, or rulers—welting our hands and whipping our behinds, but it wasn't that way for me. Growing up practically alone had taught me how to be a fairly decent actress. I knew when to lay my "innocence" on thick, and I also knew when to stand up for myself and be the brave, bullheaded girl that I truly was.

From what I remember of my past life, my human life, is that I wasn't like the other girls I grew up around. I didn't pray for someone to come and adopt me. I never dreamed of a family to call my own and then someday for a husband to provide for me while I was pregnant and barefoot in the kitchen.

_No, thank you. _

While the other girls dreamed of pampered lifestyles, I dreamed of freedom and expression. I dreamed of a world without war and plagues, where we could all coexist and live among one another without some great divide.

Some called me a dreamer, some called me peculiar, it never bothered me though, because I liked being different.

As I grew up, I began to discover that I had—what now would be called—daddy issues. I'd missed the guidance growing up that would've provided me with a sense of morals and the scruples to distinguish between right and wrong. It wasn't that I didn't understand…I just simply did not care what others thought of me, and I did what I wanted to do.

I didn't live up to societies expectations, and I was a very opinionated woman. I often spoke without filter, and I wasn't afraid to get into a heated debate with the opposite sex on a matter that I cared deeply about.

In other words, I was an anomaly. I stood out like a sore thumb…marched to the beat of my own drum…you get the picture.

Unfortunately, my status, or role in society, also cast me as a bit of an outsider. I didn't really mind being an outsider, but I never thought the ramifications of my actions would lead to my death. Or maybe I should say, the end of my human life.

Ever since I was in my early teens, I noticed that boys and men from all ages seemed to be drawn to me. I dealt with it the best way I could, sometimes using it to my advantage, while still being kind and courteous to people who were polite to me.

Eventually, I began dating a boy in our town named Michael, but he went by the nickname Mike. Mike and I were close in age, and after I was released from the orphanage on my eighteenth birthday, we had planned to get married and live together.

We had always kept our relationship a secret, as per his idea. He said it was to protect me and my reputation, because we were intimate with each other, and that was a sin out of wedlock.

I realized much later that he was only keeping it a secret because he was engaged to another woman. When I heard the news of his engagement I was enraged. Furious at him for lying to me, for using me, and I was blind with hatred over the fact that he had chosen another over me.

Instead of outing him to the town and his new fiancé, I decided to retaliate by sleeping with his best friend and cousin, Jacob. I didn't think Jacob would tell the entire town, but he did.

That's when the whispers started, everyone talked about me behind my back and people stopped looking me in the eyes. Men got handsy when I would go to the market, and I could never travel alone for fear somebody would take it too far and hurt me. I avoided alleys at all costs, and I rarely went out at night, but in the end—it wasn't enough to save me.

After I left the orphanage, I used the small remnants of my inheritance to purchase a tiny shack on the outskirts of town. It wasn't much, but it was shelter over my head and a warm place to sleep, and eventually, I called it home.

One night as I slept, I was brutally attacked and bludgeoned. Left for dead, bleeding and battered in my bed, I practically drowned in a pool of my own blood. Luckily, or unluckily for me—depending on how you see it—a vampire by the name of Lucy happened to be strolling through town. She smelt my blood and arrived just as my attacker was fleeing.

Lucy told me once that when she first came upon me, her intent was to bleed me dry and leave me for someone else to find and bury me. But when she saw how young I was, she couldn't do it and she felt compelled to change me, to make me like her.

Three agonizingly burning days passed, and when I awoke it was with a new body and intensified senses. Lucy helped me to understand what I had become, and how the change would alter my life forever, however long that may be. She also helped me to discover that it was Mike's fiancé Claire, who had attacked me that night.

Initially, I wanted to kill her. An eye for an eye and all that, but I decided against any more bloodshed. Instead, I paid her a little visit—with Lucy in tow to make sure I didn't kill her—and I scared the ever-loving daylights out of her.

Eventually, she went insane and had to be committed to an asylum. She wouldn't stop screaming about "red eyed demon women".

I moved away right after Claire was committed, just before the Salem Witch Trials, and I followed Lucy to the South where she joined another coven. This coven was extremely power hungry, they were always trying to find ways to build a powerful army, and they wanted to basically take over the world. It really wasn't my cup of tea, so I separated from Lucy, and I fled from America shortly after.

Not long afterwards, I found myself in Europe. For decades, I lived with Katherine Fiore and her small coven. We were a coven of all women vampires, and if I'm being honest—it was quite exhausting trying to live in a tiny cottage with three other females.

Katherine was a bit of a control freak, and her need for power and dominance had begun to drive our coven apart.

One day I had finally had enough of her, and I fled to find the Volturi coven—rulers of our kind—to see if they could offer me some type of reprieve from Katherine's domineering ways. Much to my chagrin, I found out shortly after arriving in Volterra that Katherine had followed me, intending to intercept me along my way and silence me once and for all.

_Big mistake on her part. _

I arrived in Volterra sooner than she anticipated, and after hearing my case, the Volturi decided in my favor and ordered Katherine to stay away from me. She lashed out, insulting them as if they were below her, and they killed her.

_I wanted to thank them for taking care of my light work. _

At that time, the members of the large and powerful clan were at a bit of an impasse because their fourth member Eleazer, was leaving to be with his mate, Carmen. Initially they wanted to replace him, inviting their long time friend and essentially "castle-mate" Carlisle Cullen to join them.

Carlisle politely declined, stating that he wasn't sure how long he planned to stay in Italy, and that he had hope, like Eleazer, that he would someday find his mate. All having mates themselves, the Volturi could hardly fault him for his choice.

After getting to know Carlisle, I learned that he was often ridiculed for his choice of diet and his human-like lifestyle. I envied him. He was compassionate and he cared about others in a way I had never witnessed. He always inspired me to be my best, and to always be kind.

When he decided to leave Italy and go to America I went with him.

**. . . . . . .**

Carlisle and I moved all over the United States. Over the years, we ended up saving a few people who trickled into our lives and touched us in ways we didn't understand.

He saved Esme, when we lived in Wisconsin for a short period of time. When she awoke from her transformation he realized she was his mate, and they now share a bond more powerful than any love I've ever witnessed.

I saved Rosalie from a fate similar, yet different, from my own when we lived in New York. She had been attacked by her fiancé and a couple of his buddies on her way home from a friend's house one night. After she changed and adapted to her bloodlust, I went back to New York with her and helped her kill and torment each of her attackers one by one.

After leaving New York, we moved around the South for a while. A few years later, Rosalie stumbled upon Emmett, who lay broken and bleeding after a deadly encounter with a grizzly bear. They ended up mating, and I found myself alone in a cluster of couples. I debated going off on my own, but I couldn't do it. I loved my new family too much.

Eventually, Alice found us. She was definitely my saving grace.

Admittedly, I was very lonely before Alice came along. As I mentioned before, it was hard living among mated couples. Their love was strong and true, and I felt left out of a very important piece of the puzzle. I had to pretend to be happy in the company of my family, and I often opted to go off on long hunting trips, tracking the largest game I could find and keeping myself busy in nature.

When Alice joined our coven I felt like I had finally found a counterpart. She was a bit wilder than I was, often seducing poor young human boys into her bed for sport and slipping out before they could wake, leaving them broken hearted. Alice was a firecracker and for the lack of a better term, a bad influence.

Alice may not seem like a force to be reckoned with, but she is. That may even be an understatement. Alice is 5'1", and 115 pounds of sex kitten. Her sexy black spiky hair and warm golden eyes accentuate her pale marbled skin, and she has curves in all the right places.

In reality, all of the women in our coven are amazingly beautiful.

Esme is the MILF that all the teenage boys dream about, with caramel colored hair and a beautiful warm smile.

Rosalie is a statuesque blonde with beautiful curves and a bone structure that would put a Greek Goddess to shame.

That leaves me, Bella, the girl with long, mahogany hair, almond shaped golden eyes with long thick lashes, and full, pouty lips. I'm slightly less curvy than Rosalie, and about five or six inches taller than Alice.

Esme and Rosalie are astonished that Alice and I haven't paired off yet and found mates of our own, but we're selective. Alice has spent the last few decades searching for her urban cowboy. She had a vision once of meeting this guy in a diner with a strong country drawl, but she says the vision is hazy and she can't seem to get any type of time frame or location picked out from it.

I for one am a bit skeptical. I mean, what the hell would she be doing in a diner? Plus, if this cowboy means so much to her, why the hell is she still whoring it up with me? Okay, that sounds bad—we don't really whore it up, but she does tend to use my, ah hell what does she call it…_allure_ to attract some fine sexual specimens.

Then sometimes, when we're really lonely, Alice and I find pleasure in each other. Don't take that the wrong way, Alice and I aren't really romantically involved with one another—it's basically pleasure, that's it. Sometimes we'll have an "itch" no human can scratch, whether it be wanting something a little rougher—or just having someone who doesn't need to be provided a map and instructions to find our g-spots, and we use one another. It's really too bad that Alice and I aren't each other's mates, because we sure do complement each other beautifully.

At first we weren't sure vampires could mate within their own sex, but back in the 60's we came across a lesbian mated couple, named Siobhan and Maggie, who were very much in love. I guess that just isn't in the cards for Alice and me.

Unlike Alice, I'm not holding on to that fairytale hope of finding my prince charming. I must have carried that attitude over from my human life. I'm not a romantic; I don't think that love solves all of the world's problems.

However, I do believe in love—I'd have to be blind not to. I've seen Carlisle and Esme, and Rose and Emmett. I know true love exists, I just don't believe it exists for everybody. Especially for myself. I'd like to think if I had a mate out there, I would have found him already.

* * *

**There's more where that came from! Stay tuned for more VAD! **

**Also, ****If you would like to see all the stories that are a part of this exchange visit the facebook group: ****Fanficaholics Anon: Where Obsession Never Sleeps or add the C2 to get all the stories direct to your inbox.  
www . fanfiction community/ Fagetastic_Four/98339/**

**Thank you to Sue for betaing this for me! And thank you to ZenOne for pre-reading!**

**Thank YOU for reading! A banner for this story is on Facebook in the Group FAGE4 album and will be posted on my Facebook as well. **

**Steph, I hope you like this, bb! 3 **

**xxoo,**

**Missy**


	2. Chapter Two

Alice's dreamy sigh snaps me back to reality, and I direct my attention towards her. "I'm sorry, what were you saying? I spaced out a bit."

"I was _saying_ that it's so nice to be in Forks. It's nice to be someplace where we can go outside during the daytime and function like normal people. And now that Esme is finished with the renovations, I think we'll settle in here just fine." Her smirk unnerves me, but I shake it off to unsettled nerves and first day jitters.

We're starting college at Peninsula College in Port Angeles today. The four of us (Emmett, Rose, Alice, and I) alternate each time we move. One time we'll be high-schoolers, the next we're college students, and sometimes we'll start up a small business. It all depends on what we feel like doing in our new environment, and it also depends on where we're located.

For instance, when we were in Alaska, we all sort of did our own thing. Alice and I hopped around from job to job. Our jobs varied from exotic dancing to cashiering at Pottery Barn.

Rose owned an auto body shop. Carlisle, of course, worked at the local hospital. Esme volunteered at a law firm, and Emmett started up his own business as a private detective.

We loved the freedom, but eventually we had to move on.

Now we're in Forks, with a new location, a new life, a completely different existence. This is the part where your parents would normally give you a pep talk about how it's a new beginning, and you can meet new friends—but that just isn't true for us.

Yes, we're always granted fresh starts, but it's not really new or the beginning of anything. We don't get new friends and we don't get to do anything significant to be remembered by.

Instead of the slate being wiped clean, it's more like a C.D. that is continuously skipping. For me, the charade is getting old. What's the point of making a new life for myself if I'm just going to leave it behind in a few years anyway?

"What's the matter with you?" Alice asks.

"Nothing. Why? What do you mean?" I furrow my brow and turn my attention to her again.

"You seem really deep in thought. You've barely said a word this entire way and we're almost to the school. If you were human, I would ask if you were feeling alright." She looks a little concerned and it makes me feel a little guilty. Normally, I'd share any thought or feeling running through my head with Alice. I just don't want to make my bad mood rub off on her, and I'm truly not entirely sure why I feel this way. I decide to think about it a bit before talking to her.

"I'm just taking in all the new scenery, you know, adjusting. It's not always as easy for me as it is for you guys. I really liked living in Alaska. Forks just seems so…_green_." I say with distaste.

She rolls her eyes at me, but a smile tugs the corners of her lips. "Bella, Bella, my little drama queen, you know I'd never let you go into a new place blind. Trust me; you're going to love it here. Just give it a chance." she says cryptically.

I quirk an eyebrow at her. "Spill, Pixie. What did you see?"

"Top secret, Bells, plus it's still a little fuzzy. But if what I'm picking up on so far comes into fruition, you're really going to like it here."

I growl and flick the air in her direction. "So much for _not_ letting me go in blind, asshole."

She just chuckles and continues driving.

**. . . . . . .**

After we pull up and both get out of the car, I throw my dark red book bag over my shoulder and walk side by side with Alice toward the school. We've both decided not to focus on a specific major this time around, so we're only going part time and talking classes that we think sound interesting.

We have three classes together, and we have one apart. We're taking Paranormal Psychology, Urban Legends and Folklore 101, and Creative Writing together. Separately, I'm taking an Advanced Mixed Media art class, and she's taking Fashion Merchandising.

We're currently on our way to our Urban Legends and Folklore class, and I am less than enthused. I'd really rather not be doing college this time around and just do my own thing again. It's hard to reign myself in after living without structure for so long—as we had in Alaska.

But, Alice being Alice put a kibosh to all of my fun and dragged me along with her.

"Ugh, I don't understand why you're using that cheap, ugly backpack, Bella." she says reproachfully.

"Alice, you got to dress me today. Be happy with that. Unlike you, I do not feel the need to accessorize my book bag with my daily outfit." I roll my eyes at her and pick up the pace toward the school.

Once we're inside I grab a folded map and some campus flyers that I'll probably never need and stuff them in my bag. I quickly scan the map and head in the direction of our classroom.

I'm pleased to find that our Urban Legends class is being taught by the same instructor as our Paranormal Psych class, so I won't have to switch rooms today, seeing as these are my only two classes on Mondays and Fridays.

"Hmm…our first teacher is a guy. I wonder if he's hot." Alice says saucily as she raises her eyebrows suggestively and gives me an over-embellished wink.

"Seriously, Alice? You can see the future. Since when do you wonder about anything?" I snap back quietly.

I don't like being played with, and for some reason I feel like I've just stepped into one of Alice's games.

I decide to ignore her for a while and I push forward, rounding the corner toward our class. As I walk through the door, I stop abruptly, caught off guard by a certain scent and a strong sensation that plays over my skin. If I could get goose bumps, I'd have them right now. My skin is prickling and I fold my arms across myself, rubbing my hands up and down my arms trying to get rid of the sensation.

I should be searching for the source of my discomfort, but I'm too caught up in the foreign feeling to do anything else but try to shake it off. Suddenly, I feel someone bump into me from behind on my left side. They hit me hard enough to make me stumble; caught off guard I fall into someone standing a few feet away from me to my right.

I'm alert enough to know I can't use my quick reflexes to catch myself and risk being seen, so I brace myself, waiting to hit the ground. Much to my surprise, I don't fall. The person I've bumped into catches me and swiftly yanks me up to my feet. I feel as though I've just been struck with a bolt of lightning, and I step away quickly. When I look up, I gaze into the greenest eyes I've ever seen in my entire existence.

Now, mind you, I don't exactly roam around, stopping random people in the streets just so I can peer into their eyes. But I do have vampire vision, and I can see people without them seeing me. I've seen my fair share of hazel, blue, brown, crimson, golden, black, and green eyes before, but nothing could ever compare to these emeralds staring back at me. The first thing I think of when I see them is fresh cut grass and deep enchanted forests. I want to jump inside them and wrap myself in their depths.

Startled by my own thoughts I take a deep shuddering breath in and realize that I've been literally staring at this stranger for a matter of moments. Not moving. Not really breathing. Just…staring. That's when I decide it might be good to figure out who exactly I've just optically assaulted and do some damage control.

When I step back to apologize to whoever just saved me from face planting in this dreadful dress Alice has put me in, I notice a boyish shy smile directed directly at me. His green eyes contrast beautifully with his crazy bronze and copper colored hair, which is sitting wildly on top of his head. He's freshly shaven and dressed in a gray dress shirt with a nice pair of dark blue jeans. His smile is unique, slightly crooked with two full lips that I want to bite. His teeth aren't perfect, but they're white and they look pretty when he smiles. His eyes and the corner of his mouth crinkles when he smiles, and his nose is just slightly tilted toward the left—making me wonder how he broke it and when it happened.

I shake myself from my thoughts and mentally scold myself for paying so much attention to a human. My line of thought will get me nowhere but into trouble, and I know I must distance myself from him right away.

"I'm so sorry about that. I wasn't paying attention and I must have been in the way… You're not hurt are you?" I start to apologize, but before he can respond Alice quickly makes her way up to me.

"Oh my Gosh! Bella, are you okay? I'm so sorry! I didn't _see_ you there." Alice drones and if I had blood pressure—mine would be spiking through the roof.

I know exactly what she means when she says she didn't _see_ me, and I know it's a damn lie. This is the all-knowing, all-seeing Alice we're talking about here. She sees everything. I smell bullshit.

"I guess you should be _watching_ out where you're going then huh, Alice?" I scold her under my breath, knowing she can hear me and I turn back to the green eyed boy in front of me.

Before I can ask him if he's okay again, Alice begins flapping her jaws. "You'll have to excuse her; she's not used to walking in heels yet. Bella here is a bit of a klutz sometimes." she explains.

A fierce growl rumbles through my chest as a result of the humiliation she's forcing upon me, but I quickly tame it down and school my facial expression. I make a mental note to kick Alice's ass later, and I know that she sees it in a vision, because her eyes glaze over and she stops speaking for a second.

"Alice, let's go sit down before the instructor comes. We don't want to make a bad impression." I drag her up a couple of steps to the second row of desks and I plop down in one without even waiting for her to claim a seat.

She chuckles quietly as she claims the seat next to me, which only irks me further.

_Just what is so damn funny?_ I fume.

I reach into my backpack, pulling out my notebook, pen, and the text book we had to purchase for the class. As I get my things situated, our instructor calls the class to attention and introduces himself.

"Hello class, Welcome to Urban Legends and Folklore. I'll be your teacher for this course, and my name is Mr. Masen, but feel free to call me Edward." I look up, curious as to what our teacher looks like, finding that his voice doesn't sound very old, when I lock eyes with the man I bumped into not ten minutes prior.

If I could still blush, I would be. I'm half-tempted to ask Alice if we can enroll in a different class, but I remember that this is the same teacher for our Paranormal Psych class, too.

_Awesome, Bella. You get to spend your time drooling over the only human you've found remotely interesting during your entire existence as an immortal. And if that isn't fucked up enough, he's also your teacher. _

_Could things get any worse? _

I should know better than to ask myself that question. Anytime someone asks themselves if something could get worse, it always does. What the hell am I thinking? With my luck, I'll slip up, eat this guy, and we'll be on our way to our next home in a matter of weeks.

Sometimes I wish the whole vampire factor didn't totally and completely rule my life. I'd love to be able to get to know people, and not have them either lured to me, or avoid me because of my looks and allure. Some people have the instincts to recognize that we're dangerous, while others see us a shiny new toy and can't take the hint when we brush off their unwanted advances.

I look down at my notebook, furrowing my brow as I press the tip of my pen to the paper and begin to doodle random shapes and designs. I'd love nothing more than to draw this confusing creature in front of me, but that could be embarrassing if he were to catch me drawing him in the middle of class. I sigh as I realize that no matter what my excuse, Alice is not going to let me change my schedule, and for whatever reason, she wants us to know this strangely fascinating human.

**. . . . . . . .**


	3. Chapter Three

A couple of weeks pass, and I've settled nicely into my new schedule. I've kept my distance from the alluring teacher, at least, during school hours. Sadly, I have to admit that I often think about Edward in the middle of the night, only to sneak out of the house with the pretense of hunting, and then I find myself outside of his house. I listen to him sleep and sometimes climb up to his window so I can see him as he slumbers.

He doesn't appear to have a girlfriend or any close family. I've never heard him on the phone, and I've rarely heard him interact with people around town outside of his coworkers.

Finally, one night I decide to snoop around inside of his house as he sleeps. I carefully ease open the window in his home office and climb inside without making any sound. I'm slightly perplexed that he doesn't have an alarm system hooked up or keep his windows locked for that matter, but yet I'm thankful because that makes it so much easier to get inside.

Walking around the house, I notice that there are very few personal photographs. His house is sort of cold and institutional. The only items that show off any of his personality would be his extensive book collection. He's obviously a very avid reader and a history buff, which brings a small smile to my face. I see tons of novels written on the Salem Witch Trials and smile to myself, knowing I could probably provide him more information about that topic than his books could.

My fingers skim across each volume when a certain book title calls to me. It's titled, _Quileute Tribal Legends_.

I stop for a second; using my vampire hearing to listen to his heart rate and make sure he's still in a deep sleep. I then take a seat on the chaise lounge next to his bookshelf and open the old, leather-bound book. The pages have yellowed with time, it has the distinct smell of old paper, and the binding cracks slightly as I open it. I scroll through the glossary and find a chapter titled, _The Cold Ones_. It piques my interest and I find myself paging through the rest of the book to find that chapter.

Unfortunately, I'm not prepared for what I read. It's about an entire Indian tribe being slaughtered by a blood-crazed vampire couple. They tore through an entire town, sparing no one, and killing anyone in their path. I read about their tribal members turning into giant wolves to protect their lands and people, and I read about love, loss, and sacrifice. By the time I finish the chapter, I'm breathing heavily and blinking the over abundance of venom from my eyes.

Of course, I can't cry. But when I'm over-emotional, sometimes my eyes glaze over and the venom makes my eyes blurry.

The chapter goes on to describe our physical characteristics, cold and pale skin, sparkling in sunlight, crimson eye color (which is true if you feed off of human blood, which we do not), and many more spot-on characteristics.

I'm tempted to take the book with me, fearful that if Edward has read this book, that somehow he'll connect the dots and become suspicious of Alice and me. Then my voice of reason takes over, and I reason that if he has read the book he could become more suspicious if it turns up missing. I also realize that people, especially humans own books but don't read them all the time. Maybe he just likes to collect these types of novels as a hobby, and because it's a local legend. After all, he is an Urban Legend teacher; he should be used to old tales like these.

I end up placing the book back on the shelf and I make my way into his bedroom quietly. I breathe his scent in deeply as I kneel on a cedar chest at the foot of his bed. His scent is indescribable, it's pine, musk, and waterfalls all rolled into one. He's definitely all male.

When I go to leave his room, my eyes play tricks on me and I imagine that his eyes blink open for a second, but he sighs deeply and whispers, "Beautiful." That's my cue, and I quickly exit his house and run home.

. . . . . . .

I reach our property just before sunrise and decide to hunt quickly before going inside. I run a little ways past our property and track down a few elk before returning to the house.

The elk blood has eased my nerves and sated my blood-lust for now, and when I glance in the mirror after a long, hot shower I notice that my eyes are practically glowing they're so yellow.

I dress for school in a deep green top with a pair of black skinny jeans. Instead of the shoes Alice would prefer me to wear; I throw on a worn pair of chucks and make my way downstairs with my backpack in hand.

At first Alice is nowhere to be found, and I don't hear anyone else moving in the house. After a minute of looking around, I hear Alice's T-Bird horn blare outside.

_Well, that explains it._

I make my way outside and give her a disgruntled look as I hop in the car.

Before I have a chance to say anything, Alice starts speaking, "So, do you think you'll ever work up the courage to talk to him?"

I wince. I know she's seen me go to his house at night, but I was hoping she wouldn't bring it up. At least not until I knew the reason behind my infatuation. Apparently, I was shit out of luck.

"Listen, Al, I _have_ spoken to him. I talked to him the day you shoved me into him. It was awkward, and frankly, I'm still embarrassed about the whole thing. So, could you just drop it, please?" I grit out.

"Okay, okay, Miss Crabby Pants. Jeesh, I'll drop it under one condition." Her mischievous tone instantly makes me suspicious.

"What's that?" I ask hesitantly.

"That we go out tonight. We need a night on the town. Well go to this club I heard about in Sequim, and we'll pick up guys and just have a blast. What do you say?"

I agree reluctantly, but when I do, I'm even more nervous because Alice makes me pinky swear with her.

"Aren't we a little old for pinky swears, Alice?" I roll my eyes and try to play it cool, but inside I'm very skeptical about her intentions. I internally wonder if she has seen tonight, but I immediately scold myself for my train of thought. Of course she has, otherwise she wouldn't be pinky swearing me into a blind situation.

_That evil little all-knowing witch. _

Class blows by uneventfully, and before I know it Alice and I are gathering our books and making our way out into the hallway. We're stopped by two girls who are also in our class, and they introduce themselves as Jessica Stanley and Lauren Mallory.

"So, aside from being a little geeky, what do you guys think of Edward?" Jessica asks, like she's known him for years. Maybe she has, I really have no idea, but the idea of her knowing any intimate details about him has me both curious and jealous at the same time.

"He seems like a good teacher, a little younger than I would expect to be teaching in a college, but good nonetheless." Alice answers vaguely.

"He's a total loner. He was in high school, too. We went to Forks High with him. He transferred in during our freshman year, he was a junior. Some kids tried making friends with him, but he basically just kept to himself." Jessica drones on.

"Yeah," Lauren whispers, "he's _really_ weird. He lived with Mr. and Mrs. Cope, this old foster couple, until he graduated. They passed away in a car accident a year or so after he left for college. So he was basically left with no one. The only reason he came back was because they left their house to him."

I stay silent as I process the information they've just given to me. A few of my questions are cleared up about his family situation, but that still doesn't explain why he doesn't seem to have any friends. From what little communication I've had with him, he doesn't appear to be a social recluse. I'm not sure you could be one if you're a teacher anyway.

"So, anyway, you guys should _totally_ come out with us tonight. We're going to this new club that opened up in Sequem called WETT. I'm so excited! If it's as cool as everyone says it is, then it sure as hell beats driving to Seattle for some good entertainment. Plus, I heard a couple of the faculty are going to be showing up there. Like professor Yorkie and Crowley, totally hot by the way! Ugh! So...what d'ya ladies say? Are you in?"

I give Alice a pointed glare. I know she saw these two bimbos approach us when she asked me to go to the club. From what these two said, there'll be more people from school there, and I pray that Edward doesn't decide to go. The last thing I need is to trip over my feelings for him while I'm looking for some innocent young buck to take to a hotel with me. I shouldn't have anything to worry about though, because from the sounds of it, a club wouldn't be his scene.

"Sure!" Alice beams excitedly, purposely ignoring the death rays I'm shooting in her direction. I agreed to go to the club, _not_ hang out with "Romey and Michelle" all night.

"We'll have to meet you guys there though, our car is only a two-seater and we need to be available just in case one of our family members needs us. Sorry." I interject with a fake frown and take off in the direction of the front doors.

Alice is hot on my heels and we travel back to the house in silence. She lets me cool off from her impromptu invitation from the banger sisters, and I let it go because there's nothing I can do about it. If worst comes to worst, I'll leave her with them tonight and go home with someone without warning her.

Wouldn't be the first time. She'd see it after I stopped changing my mind anyway.

**. . . . . . .**

Alice decides we need to look our very best tonight. Vampires don't need to primp, thankfully, but I'm not sure Alice received that entire memo. She chases me around the house for about thirty minutes with her portable curling iron before I finally tug it from her hands and threaten to break it.

Needless to say, she gives in to me wearing my hair straight but not without fixing me with an icy glare and telling me that _she_ _will_ be choosing my clothes _and_ shoes for the evening.

She curls her own hair into cute little ringlets and then pins the front of it back. I put mine into a high pony tail, deciding that I want to keep it off of my neck for the evening. We dress in the outfits that Alice has laid out for us.

Mine is a deep royal blue halter dress with diamond like studs outlining the chest, straps, and waist. It's skin tight and hugs my hips. She's paired it with a matching set of four inch heels; they have studded straps that wrap around my ankles.

Alice's dress is almost exactly like mine, except hers is deep green and it flares out under her chest into layers. I ask her why she got the comfortable dress, and I have the one that feels like it's going to snap off over my head, but she shrugs and says she likes my hips better. Her shoes are a simple but elegant pair of black pumps.

It's all a bunch of bullshit if you ask me, but of course, no one ever does.

The others are gone for the weekend on a hunting trip up to Canada, so at least Emmett isn't here to give me shit for letting Alice dress me up.

I guess the sun shines on a dog's ass every once in a while.

**. . . . . . .**


	4. Chapter Four

We arrive at WETT just after 9:00PM. Jessica and Lauren are already in line saving our spots. When we reach them we hear cat calls and obnoxious whistles from the surrounding male population. Alice saunters and waves, soaking up the attention. I have the strongest urge to flip them off and continue walking. I don't though, because Alice would never let me hear the end of it. Instead I just ignore them and walk up to Jessica and Lauren as fast as _humanly_ possible.

"Hello girls." I say coolly. I'm not really in the mood for pleasantries and I think they catch on quick. They take a slight step back and angle themselves more in Alice's direction.

"Hey girls! I am so excited to get in there and get my _groove_ on!" Alice bounces on her heels excitedly.

I roll my eyes at her and the others as they join in on her excited chatter. They babble on about their outfits and this and that while I look up at the snail-paced line and tap my foot impatiently.

"I swear to God we're moving backwards." I growl as I see tons of people skipping the line and just walking up to the doors, some getting through and some not getting allowed in. I can tell the people who are dressed the nicest are getting in first, and it doesn't take a genius to tell that the bouncer is either looking to get a huge tip or to get lucky with one of the little skeezy girls he lets in.

I tap Alice's arm and say, "Let's go girls." As I start rummaging through my purse for a large bill; I step away from the line and take strong confident steps toward the door, making direct eye contact with the bouncer. I give him a small smile and bite my lip as I see his mouth fall open and his eyes glaze over.

_You're as good as mine, big boy._

By the time I reach him, he's already holding the door open for me and smiling dazedly. I hold up a hundred dollar bill and raise my eyebrows at him in askance. He shakes his head and smiles at me.

"A lady as pretty as yourself shouldn't be paying to get in anywhere. Hell, we should pay you for visiting our establishment." he responds suavely.

"You're too sweet." I smile back at him and step closer, tucking the large bill into his breast pocket.

"That's for my friends." I whisper in his ear and hook my finger, pointing behind me at Alice and the other two who are making their way up behind me.

"Unnecessary, but thank you, beautiful." he says reverently.

"You're most welcome." I say in a buttery soft voice and proceed into the club waiting for the others to catch up.

I smile to myself when I hear Jessica whisper into Alice's ear, "She's kind of intimidating, isn't she?"

"Nah, she's just shy." I can hear the smile in Alice's voice.

"_That_ is shy?" Jessica asks back in shock.

"She seems like a snob," Lauren huffs.

"_Lauren_! _Shut_ _up_! She just got us in here, didn't she?" Jessica scolds her.

"Yeah, but she _totally_ had to pay the bouncer. I bet if _we_ would've waited we could have gotten in for _free_." Lauren's voice is dripping with disdain and it makes me smile even larger.

_Somebody has a green-eyed monster on her shoulder._

"Whatever, Lauren. You don't have to be jealous, Bella seems..._nice_." Jessica defends, much to my surprise.

I'm a little peeved that it wasn't Alice who stuck up for me, but it doesn't really matter. I turn around, fully prepared to tell them that it isn't polite to gossip about a fellow "girlfriend" behind her back when I notice the expression on Alice's face.

Her eyes look far away, and her posture is frozen. To anyone else she would look like she's zoning out, but I can tell she's having a vision. So I carefully pull her aside, pretending to be whispering in her ear, and I wait until she comes to.

After a few moments, she blinks a few times and her arms slacken a little. She looks over at me and beams a huge smile, and I can't help but smile at her.

"What did you see that has you so happy?" I ask quietly.

Her smirk is smug and she answers quickly. "I saw him again! My cowboy! But I still have no idea when it's going to happen, or where we're going to be. All I know is you are there and you don't seem to like him very much when you first meet him."

"Why wouldn't I like him?" I furrow my brow.

"I don't know. I never see the reason, but I do know that you end up being like siblings. He'll be a member of our family someday." She giggles and bounces up and down like an excited pre-schooler. It takes everything inside of me not to pat her on the head and tell her to go take a nap.

"If you say so, Cleo." I reply.

"Quit calling me Cleo! That lady was a fraud! And no one even remembers her anymore!" Alice snaps back.

"Sure, sure." I roll my eyes and decide to start scoping out the prospects for this evening.

_No...not into blonds. _

_Nah...I think he might be batting for the other team. _

_Ack...too scrawny. _

_Ugh...this might be a lost cause... _

I'm definitely not going to find anyone if I keep thinking about Edward Masen.

Letting my senses take over, I link my arm through Alice's and lead her to the dance floor. She and I begin dancing with each other, swaying our hips to the music and rubbing up against one another as we secretly scan the crowds for tonight's main event.

Suddenly, she grabs a hold of my shoulders and spins me around so I'm facing away from her. At first I'm confused as to what she's up to, but her arm reaches over my shoulder and she points directly in front of me to a group of three guys hanging out by the bar area.

My eyes immediately land on the copper haired guy, completely disregarding the other two who are actually paying attention to us. When the object of my affection turns around, I shiver as a thrill runs through me.

It's Edward. Never in a million years would I have thought that Edward would be here, but he is. I'm tired of trying to stay away from him, and I'm tired of resisting.

With my new plan intact, I turn around to face Alice and continue to dance with her.

"Alice, I don't know if I can do this alone. Normally, it's easy for me to resist human blood, but I'm afraid that I'll lose control of my emotions and hurt him. I know it sounds crazy, because of how I've been acting about him. But I think I want you there tonight, with us. Would you?" I beg.

It's not uncommon for us to seduce one or more human males at a time, but we always agreed if there was one we actually "liked" we wouldn't share them with each other. What I'm asking her to do now goes against every rule we've set for ourselves, but I truly am afraid that I'll hurt him. And honestly, I'm not a hundred percent sure that he'll want to leave with me... I usually don't have a problem, but things feel different with him. I would need Alice there with me just in case he does reject me.

"I'll go with you, Bella, only because your uncertainty is clouding the outcome of tonight, but I will not have sex with him. We can fool around, but your feelings for him might be deeper than even you anticipate, and if you feel threatened in the heat of the moment – bad things could happen. Do you understand?" She looks up into my eyes as she asks me this, making sure I'm following what she's telling me.

I nod and bite my lip softly as I try to prepare myself to approach Edward.

Just then Jessica and Lauren make themselves known and pop up beside us.

"Hey! We lost you guys back there! Whatcha doin?" Jessica asks as she smacks her gum loudly.

"Well, I was just about to go touch up my makeup, and I think Alice was going to go get another round of drinks. I'll meet up with you guys at the bar?" I offer.

"I'll go with you!" Jessica says and we make our way to the bathroom. She uses the facilities while I pretend to refresh my makeup in the mirror. I'm killing time, trying to figure out how to approach Edward.

"So, Bella, I hear you and Alice are looking to pick up some hotties tonight!" Jessica beams at me through the mirror as she washes her hands and touches up her makeup.

"Yeah, but I guess it's more for me than for her. She's sort of been _seeing_ this guy on and off, and I think things are going to get pretty serious in the _future_. So, she's really just looking to set me up with someone." I shrug and rinse my hands in the sink.

"Really? Well, good for her! I'm glad she's found someone special, and I hope you do, too. Lauren and I planned to come and find the teachers we mentioned earlier, Mr. Crowley and Mr. Yorkie. Lauren has had a thing for Crowley ever since we were in eighth grade. He was good friends with her brother, so she saw him a lot and developed quite the crush. I think Eric–er' Mr. Yorkie is absolutely gorgeous so, obviously...I'd like to see if there's any chemistry there." She smiles, dazed.

"Enough about me, what do you like in a guy?" she asks quietly, a slight blush coloring her cheeks.

I swallow back the surge of venom that trickles into my mouth from the sight of the blood filling her face, and I think for a second about how I should answer her question.

"Well...I think the strong, silent type. I love to read, so he should at least be able to get through a good book without complaining. Physically, I like my guys toned but not too bulky or scrawny. I prefer oddly colored hair types. Green eyes. I'm not sure; I guess I'll just know when I find the right person." I shrug and turn for the door, hoping I didn't just give myself away.

"Well, Bella, I don't even really know you, but you seem to be a nice person, and really–everyone deserves their happy ending. I hope you get yours." I hear the smile in her voice, and I am momentarily stunned at her kindness. At first, I had her pegged as a snobbish airhead, so the fact that she seems to be truly genuine and somewhat kind, catches me off guard.

"Thank you, Jessica." I pull the handle on the door and we both exit quietly.

We make our way back to the bar without talking. Both probably reflecting on our previous somber discussion.

"Ladies!" I hear a loud male voice boom as we sidle up to the bar and look around for our other company.

When we turn toward the person talking to us, he immediately introduces himself as Tyler Crowley. Jessica already knows him quite well, so they make small talk, but I notice his eyes flitting to me on and off. I remain passive and ignore him as politely as I can until he addresses me directly.

"So, you must be Bella Cullen. I've heard so much about you." he drawls and kisses my hand as I politely shake his.

_Ugh...cool it, Casanova. I'm so not interested in what you're selling._

I pull my hand back quickly and discreetly wipe his germs off of it. I know as a vampire I can't catch anything he has, but I still wouldn't want his nastiness to infect someone else because of me.

"All good things, I hope." I give him a small smile and quickly divert my eyes in search of Alice. I find her a couple of stools down, standing with Lauren, Edward, and the other teacher – Mr. Yorkie.

Lauren is standing between the two guys, laughing flirtatiously at something Eric has just said. To me, it's obvious she's trying to get someone's attention – probably Tyler's – if what Jessica said earlier is any indication. Unfortunately, Tyler is mesmerized by his shiny new toy and can't even seem to spare her a sideways glance.

"Jess, look there's Lauren and Alice; we should probably go let them know where we are." I nod in Alice's direction and make my way toward them.

"Excuse me." I say to Tyler as we pass him, only to have him follow us over there.

"Guys, look what I found, two little hotties to add to our party!" Tyler bellows as we make our way up to him. Lauren sneers at me and I can't fight the eye-roll that takes control of my facial features at this moment.

It doesn't take a mind reader to tell what she's thinking right now. And it doesn't take a fortune teller to tell that she's going to become even more fucking annoying before the night is over.

_Down, girl. I don't like him anymore than you like me. _

_And that's saying something. _

I look over at Alice and find that she's momentarily engaged in conversation with Eric, so I turn my attention to Edward. When I look at him, I catch him staring at me, and I swear my dead heart skips a beat.

I hold his gaze for a moment, and then he drops his stare down to my feet. I see it slide back up my body slowly, and I can't hold back the wicked smirk that takes over my mouth. His face flushes hotly when his eyes take in my legs, torso, and chest. And when they drift back up to my face, he lingers on my lips. His mouth parts slightly to take in a gasp as I slowly swipe my tongue across my bottom lip, teasing him for staring at me.

When his eyes meet mine again, I give him a small crooked smile and I fix my eyes back on Alice.

"So, _Eddie_, would you like to dance?" Lauren asks after she realizes that Tyler isn't going to acknowledge her.

My anger flares and I fist my hands at my sides as I try to control my temper.

_I'd like to crush her like a bug. _

"No, but thank you for the offer." he stammers out awkwardly.

I've never paid much attention to it before, but to other people Edward would appear very awkward. I knew he was shy and sort of anti-social, but I haven't really seen the awkwardness first hand until now.

In the classroom, he's in his element, so he doesn't really need to feel insecure there. And when he's sleeping, all of his defenses are down, so again–there isn't a reason for any of his awkwardness to shine.

But here it does...and I'd be lying if I said it didn't turn me on. It's clear he's uncomfortable with girls. Although, he didn't faint when she proposed the idea that they dance together, so I'm pretty sure he isn't a virgin. Which is a blessing. I'm not sure I could pursue him if I thought he had never been with anyone before.

Maybe this way I could show him the ropes a bit, help him discover his sexuality. Student teaching the teacher. Then, when time comes for me to move on, he'll be able to find his forever as I go off in search of mine.

The thought sends a pang of discomfort through my chest, but I don't have the time to think about it now. I'm too caught up in making sure Edward doesn't dance with this heinous bimbo.

The entire time this fuckery has been taking place, Tyler tries to stand closer and closer to me. I keep moving away, slowly taking half steps to my right to get away from him, but he's persistent. Unfortunately, when our little trio approached this trio, Lauren moved off to my side to be closer to Tyler. So, with every half step I take away from him, I'm moved even closer to her. Eventually, I end up standing almost arm to arm with her, and when I feel Tyler's arm prepare to sneak around my shoulders I quickly spin to face him head on, dodging his embrace.

"Would you like to dance, Bella?" He's trying to turn his charm on, giving me a full megawatt smile and everything, and for a split second I feel a little bad that I might be wounding his ego, until I come up with a plan B.

"You know what, I'd love to, but I'm really not very good at dancing." _Lie._

His smile falls slightly, but he's quick to recover.

"C'mon, it's all in the partner, and I'm a good leader." He coaxes.

"You're right! It is all in the partner, that's why you should dance with Lauren." I respond quickly, and I swiftly step around Lauren bumping her into him as I take her place beside Edward.

Tyler tucks his tongue back into his mouth and glances down at Lauren almost as if he's never seen her before. He obviously likes what he sees because they quickly disappear onto the dance-floor together.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding and I spin quickly to face Edward as Alice, Jessica, and Eric continue talking.

"Liar." he says quietly with a smirk on his face.

"I beg your pardon?" I ask quickly, unsure of what he's accusing me of.

"It's obvious by how graceful you are that you'd be a terrific dancer." he replies.

"Graceful? Do you not remember my first day of class?" I retort, and if I were capable I'd be blushing red hot right now.

"Vividly. And I also remember your sister bumping into you, causing you to fall into me." His smile is warm, and I'm drawn to him like a moth to a flame.

_Heaven help me._

"She's more like a friend. We were adopted into the same foster home. And you have an excellent memory." I smile and silently wish that I had a drink to hide behind.

"Only for things I'm passionate about." he replies and averts his gaze to the dance-floor, blushing profusely.

"Would you like to dance, Isabella?"

No one has called me that in such a long time as I don't particularly favor the length of it, but the husky tone of his voice makes me want to hear him say it over and over again.

Then I snap back to reality and realize that Edward has just asked me to dance, minutes after he declined Lauren's invitation. A huge smile threatens to take over my face, but I tame it slightly, giving him a coy grin as I accept his dance invitation.

"Sure, Edward, but please, call me Bella." I accept his outstretched hand and we make our way into the throng of people on the dance floor.

The rhythm is mercifully slow, and I delight in the close proximity that Edward and I find ourselves in. When I look up at him, I find him watching me and he gives me a shy smile. Our bodies sync to the beat and I am free to move with him without even thinking about it. He's an excellent dancer, capable of controlling our movements and making sure to lead me carefully amongst the crowd.

"Your hands are chilly, are you cold?" He breaks our silence, alerting my senses to be more careful around him.

"No. I always feel cold to other people, but I'm comfortable." I unwrap my arms from around his head and place them on his shoulders, hoping his shirt will provide a better barrier and keep him from my frigid skin.

"Don't. It feels good. I'm usually really warm, so it's a relief." He smiles as he grabs one of my hands and places it against his cheek, reveling in the coolness.

I gasp at the tingling sensation that spreads throughout my palm, and I slide my thumb across the side of his mouth softly.

"I'm very drawn to you, Edward. I can't seem to stay away." I admit without filter. Dazed.

"Then don't." he murmurs huskily as he takes a step toward me, bringing our bodies flush together.

Realistically, I know I can get out of his grasp and be out of the club before he even realizes I've taken a step back, but I don't think I could stay away from him. For the first time in my existence, a man–a mere human at that–has weaved some type of spell, entrancing me and pulling me in. Now I can't seem to find my way back. I'm enthralled to him.

I smile up at him and slide my hands to the nape of his neck. My fingers slip into his silky hair and I gently coax his face closer to mine. I press my lips against his softly, showing him what I'm not ready to admit. Giving him what I hadn't realized I'd even possessed.

Possessed, it's appropriate really. I've practically been possessed lately in my infatuation with him. I think of him always, and I can never seem to be close enough to him. I do my homework in a daze, not even taking in anything I'm being taught because I'm so caught up in watching him and thinking about him.

And now that I know what it's like to have his lips pressed against my own, I don't think I'll ever be able to go back. To forget what this feels like. It all comes back to being possessed; I want him to possess me. I want him to own me and do with me whatever he wishes. I want to give him pleasure and take it from him as well.

I can only describe it as _need_. I need him, I need to touch, taste, and breathe him in.

He grunts softly against my lips, and I seize the opportunity to deepen the kiss. His hands tighten around my waist and I press myself harder against him, wanting to feel every single glorious inch of him.

When he breaks the kiss to breathe, I find myself panting soft puffs of breath against his hair as his lips attach to my neck and begin kissing and sucking on my skin.

"Please," I whimper, wanting —needing—to take this to a more private venue.

Just then I feel a cool shift of air behind me, and I feel Alice's hands grip my sides as she pulls me back toward her a little so she can whisper in my ear.

"I made a reservation at Juan de Fuca Cottages just down the street. I'll head over now, you guys can meet me there." she whispers and is gone in a flash.

Edward, having missed the entire conversation, smiles curiously at me and I grasp one of his hands in mine and begin to lead him through the crowd. "Follow me."

We step out into the tepid air and I turn toward him.

"Would you like to go back to my room?" I ask bravely.

"Yes." he answers immediately.

"Where did you park?" I ask.

Instead of answering, he tugs on my hand and leads me toward his SUV. He hits the unlock button on his key fob and opens my door for me. I quickly climb inside the passenger seat and he makes his way around the vehicle.

His car has a concentrated smell of him, and I use it to my advantage by inhaling deep pulls of his scent before he climbs inside with me.

When he starts the ignition I roll my window down a bit to let in some fresh air, so his scent doesn't overwhelm me.

I have very good control, but I'm not usually in such close proximity with humans, or in such confining spaces. So I need to be prepared for anything.

After a moment, I decide to break the silence. "Alice will be there, too." I warn.

"Okay," he says slowly. "Can I ask why?" he asks after a moment.

"I don't trust myself with you." I respond, beating around the bush.

"You don't trust yourself not to…sleep with me, or something else?" he asks without skipping a beat.

"No. I _know_ I'm going to sleep with you." I smile at him, and then the smile leaves my face as I continue explaining. "I can't lose control with you."

We pull up to the cottages and he shuts off the engine but makes no move to get out of the vehicle.

"I know what you are, Bella." he says after a minute of silence passes.

All of the air leaves my lungs and I turn my scared gaze toward him to find him looking directly at me. There's no malice, fear, or disgust on his face, it's just an honest gaze of a simple man.

"You…_w-what_?" I stutter.

"I don't care about the myths. I know about the Cold Ones, and I know you're a vampire, Bella." he states firmly.

I take a deep breath and bite my lip, unsure of how to proceed.

The silence looms over us, and it feels like it's been hours since he's last said a word. I don't know how to respond to his statement. I can't refute his statement because it's the truth, but I don't know how he feels about me. How will he think of me when I don't deny being what I am?

"I understand if you don't want to come inside." I start speaking quietly.

"I _do_ want to come inside." he interjects.

"But why?" I'm completely dumbfounded.

"I know you won't hurt me, Bella." he responds simply.

"How can you be so sure?" My chin lifts in defiance.

"Because you're different. Your family is different. I can tell by your eyes." He reaches out and cups my face softly, using his thumb to stroke underneath my eye.

"How do you know so much about my kind?" I ask after a moment.

"You're not the first vampire I've come into contact with." His response stuns me. Not many humans come into contact with vampires and live to tell the tale. Especially vampires unlike my family. The only other ones like us that I know of are back in Alaska. So I am absolutely floored by his confession.

I want to ask more, but I'm afraid of ruining our time together. So I promise myself to ask questions later, and I finally invite him in.

As we step out of the car, I see Alice standing in the door way of one of the cottages and Edward and I make our way to her.

"Will she watch us?" he asks quietly.

"She'll do whatever we want her to." I respond honestly.

"She's beautiful, don't get me wrong, but I don't want to sleep with her." he speaks as though it would pain him to do so.

"She's here for me more than she is for you." I say gently, not wanting to offend his ego, but hoping he'll get the point.

"I understand."

"Thank you." I murmur.

When we reach the door, I let go of his hand and wrap Alice in a tight embrace.

"Thank you, Alice. I don't know what I'd do without you." I whisper against her hair.

"You'd do what you always do, just with less flair and more brood." she jokes lightly and kisses the side of my face.

I chuckle as I step away from her and we both turn toward Edward. He has moved over to the big bay window in the living area that overlooks the bay. It's really a beautiful view; the scenery outside and Edward standing before me.

"May I use the restroom?" Edward asks after a moment, his voice low.

"Of course. It's just down the hall." Alice says and points in the general direction of the bathroom.

After Edward disappears down the hall, Alice leads me up a set of stairs to an open room with an A-frame ceiling and a king sized, wrought-iron canopy bed.

Numerous candles are lit all around the room, varying in size and color. They give the room a timeless glow and add a romantic feel to the atmosphere around us.

I turn to thank her, but she cuts me off. "Don't mention it. Here, put this on." Alice says with a smile and hands me a deep purple teddy with black lace cups and matching straps.

She makes her way over to the adjoining closet and changes into a red teddy like mine with white accents. Using vampire speed, we're both changed in a matter of seconds. The coolness of the silk that clings to my body feels refreshing, and it gives me a sense of power, almost making me feel more confident than I am.

It's not that I'm questioning my sex appeal, because I know I'm gifted on that level, but this just feels like more than sex. I'm apprehensive about how everything will go down; on one hand I'm thankful that Alice is here with me, but on the other I'd like to keep Edward all to myself.

I'm also very melancholy because this feels like the beginning to an end of Alice and I. She's always been one of the most important people in my life, and now I'm afraid of making room in my heart for another.

She must sense my inner turmoil because she moves behind me and begins stroking my arms slowly. She then slides her hands up past my neck and gently tugs the elastic band from my hair, letting it cascade freely down my shoulders.

When she finishes tending to me, I turn to her and reach up to the top of her hair to pluck her pins out, setting them down on the bedside table as I gently run my fingers through her curls.

I avoid looking into her eyes. "Why does this feel so final?" I ask quietly.

"Trust me, Bella, when I tell you that this is far from the end. It's only the beginning." She says back reverently and grasps my face, making me look into her eyes.

What does she even mean? She speaks in circles and riddles, and I'm just so tired of always trying to solve the puzzle. This is our lives we're talking about…this one night could change everything for us. Whether I'm ready or not—we're here—and we're doing this.

I nod at her and avert my gaze again, when I turn around I see Edward standing at the top of the stairs, watching us. I've never had a human sneak up on me before. I've obviously let my defenses down around him, but it doesn't matter anyway.

He knows.

He knows all about my kind, and he isn't running for the hills.

I don't know if I should be upset or elated at his complete lack of self preservation, but I'm oddly not either of those things.

**. . . . . . .**


	5. Chapter Five

The melancholy feelings from moments before trickle away as desire floods into my system.

He steps into the room, stopping a few feet away from us and I'm frozen in my place. Alice gives me a slight nudge toward him and I look back at her with a devilish smirk.

"Haven't we gotten into enough trouble with you shoving me?" I tease.

"I'd _hardly_ call this trouble." She rolls her eyes dramatically at me.

"Pfft!" I respond and turn back toward Edward.

He closes the distance between us and rests his hands on my hips.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" I ask him skeptically.

"I'm sure that I want you, and I'll take you anyway that I can. Even if it means having an audience or a third participant." He glances behind me and gives Alice a shy smile.

"I'm not talking about having an orgy, Edward. I'm talking about being with me. You don't seem like the type of guy who invites random girls into bed with him." I'm being serious with him.

"That's because I'm not that type of guy, but you're also no _random_ girl either." One hand cups my face as he brings his lips down to mine. Electric sparks radiate through our kiss and I fight to keep my control in check. The urge to grab and squeeze him is strong, but Alice's presence behind me helps balance my urges.

We move toward the bed still embracing, when I feel the bed bump the back of my knees I gently pull away from the kiss and sit at the foot of the bed. Alice moves up behind him, gently slipping his jacket off of his shoulders as I reach for the buckle on his belt.

After his belt is unhooked, I slip it from his pants and toss it off to the side, before reaching out to carefully undo his pants. He's begun unbuttoning his shirt with nervous fingers, and when he reaches the last button, Alice gently removes that, too.

I shove his pants down to his ankles, and he awkwardly steps out of them along with his shoes and socks. Alice moves to my side, leaving Edward standing before us in a cotton t-shirt and his black boxer-briefs.

He finally pulls off his shirt, exposing his delicious torso to us, making me want to slide my tongue up and down his glorious body.

"Lie down on the bed, Edward." Alice instructs gently. I look over and see a small smile playing on her face, as Edward mounts the bed and lies down with his head resting on the pillows.

I crawl up his torso, straddling him as I gently kiss his neck and his face. I breathe him in as I go, bathing in his scent as I place gentle nips and kisses all over his skin.

His skin is so warm, and I revel in his softness. I take my time to just feel and memorize his body, until I shift and feel his hardness pressing against where I want him most.

I slowly slip down his body, pressing kisses and licking him as I go. When I reach the waistband of his boxers I slowly tear them from his body. He groans loudly, enjoying my display of power, and I feel him jerk as I place a soft kiss against the head of his cock.

"Do you trust me, Edward?" I ask.

"Yes." He whispers huskily, never breaking eye contact with me.

I grasp his girth in my hand and begin stroking him softly, passing my thumb across his tip with each upward stroke. His nipples pucker and goose bumps break out over his flesh, but he seems to be enjoying my ministrations.

I get on my hands and knees in front of him, still facing him as I swipe my tongue across the tip of his cock, tasting his salty flavor as a bead of pre-cum trickles out to tempt me.

"You taste delicious, Edward…" I moan and slip his length inside my mouth.

I'm careful to cover my teeth with my lips as I begin bobbing up and down, sliding his cock deep into my throat with each pass.

I feel Alice behind me, gently tugging my panties down my hips and slipping them completely off of me before she maneuvers herself under me. I feel her breath against my thigh and I pause my mouth for a second, almost trembling in anticipation of what she's about to do.

I pull Edward out of my mouth for a second and whisper, "Alice, you don't have to…" She doesn't even allow me to finish speaking, before I feel her tongue dive between my folds and swipe upwards toward my clit.

My hips jerk convulsively from the pleasure spreading throughout my body. I move my hands to the comforter and squeeze it tightly, so I don't accidently hurt Edward.

Covering my teeth with my lips again, I hover directly over him and take him back into my mouth. My hips rock back and forth from Alice's movements and it helps me build my rhythm with Edward, too.

When I feel I have enough control, I carefully take one hand and move it down to gently rub his balls, and I slightly circle my finger underneath them, causing Edward to jerk upwards toward my face and he suddenly comes undone. I swallow as he loses himself inside my mouth, twitching and spurting. The flavor is bitter, but pretty much as salty as blood. Not completely unpleasant, but definitely nothing compared to Jaguar blood.

I really don't have a lot of time to contemplate Edward's come taste because Alice picks up her rhythm and adds a few fingers into the mix, and she has me coming shortly after Edward's orgasm.

"Fuck!" I moan as I sit straight up, then I arch my back and grip my knees tightly while the orgasm rips through me.

When my body stops trembling, I carefully crawl off of Alice and I step down from the bed. Edward and Alice are both watching me intently while I try to calm my body. I want very much to repay Alice for what she's just given me, but I also don't want Edward to feel like I don't want him.

Humans are so much more complex than my kind. We're primal creatures. The feelings that we crave during intimate moments are purely primal, sex driven desires. We love to the fullest, and it's never lacking in any sense of the word.

With Edward, this is a new experience, caring about someone the way I do him. But with Alice I can let loose and be myself, I don't have to watch myself with her, or handle her with kid gloves. And I'll always love Alice in my own way; she's just not my soul mate.

Before I can make a decision, Alice is moving to the corner of the room. She sits in a chair and waves me on before quietly saying, "Tonight is about you and him, Bella. I'm only here to make sure you're both safe and that your control is okay."

I nod, but I still feel guilty. And Edward, God bless his soul, must be very in tune with me. Because he crawls off of the bed to stand in front of me and pulls me into a searing kiss. He then takes my hand and walks me over to Alice.

Using both hands, he slips the straps of my night gown off of my shoulders and shoves it off of my body to the floor.

"On the desk, Alice." He orders softly and sits down on the chair as she crawls onto the desk in front of it.

Edward then pulls me down into his lap, facing away from him, and he reaches in front of me to squeeze my breasts and tug on my nipples. Alice leans down and kisses me softly on the mouth, only lingering for a few short seconds. I still have Edward's taste on my tongue and combined with my own from Alice's mouth, it's a heady mixture that reawakens my lust and makes me crave more.

I rock my hips back and forth against Edward's lap, as his cock starts to rise again. When he's completely hard, we both lift my hips slightly and lower me back down until he's fully sheathed inside of my heat.

I grind myself downwards, pushing against him as he thrusts roughly into me. I take every single inch of him inside me, feeling his massive length touch places I've never felt before. I have to give credit where credit is due, Edward has an amazing cock.

"You feel so good!" I moan as I lean forward, softly caressing the inside of Alice's thigh, making Edward thrust at a whole new angle inside of me.

I'm thankful for a place to put my hands when I rip Alice's panties clean off her and I tug on her hips, bringing her closer to me. Placing my hands on her back, I make her bend down in front of me, and I suck on her pebbled nipples over her silk nighty.

I feel Edward slide one hand from my chest down to my clit, firmly stroking me, intensifying my pleasure tenfold.

"Fuck yes!" I call out against Alice's chest and I roughly tear her lingerie open, leaving only scraps laying behind her on the desk.

"Sorry, I know you liked that one." I apologize before latching onto her left nipple greedily as I bounce up and down on Edward's cock.

I gently guide her backwards, using one hand to press against her torso and the other to guide her hips forward, so she's resting on the edge of the desk.

I lean over and begin kissing and nipping at her inner thighs and my position gives Edward less room to thrust inside of me. He pinches my clit roughly before nudging me forward to stand and bending me over the desk so I'm perched between Alice's spread legs as he starts pounding inside of me again.

I greedily begin assaulting her clit and folds with my tongue as Edward has his way with me. Alice runs her fingers through my hair, mewling and moaning softly as I slip two fingers inside of her and flick her clit with my tongue in quick succession, just how I know she likes it.

Edward tightens his grip on my hips, pounding me severely, so roughly that if I were human, I'd surely be feeling pain. Thankfully, all I'm feeling is complete bliss. There's a sense of satisfaction in knowing that you're good at giving someone pleasure, but when you can immensely please two people at once, that is euphoric.

I know Alice is close to coming undone because her thighs tighten against my face, and her back arches up off of the desk.

"Oh yes, Bella! Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" She chants softly as she lets go and comes against my fingers. I continue to caress her softly with my tongue, bringing her down from her orgasm. When I feel the last of her spasms, I kiss my way up her torso and throat, and I kiss her mouth deeply.

Alice leans into the kiss, softly cradling my face as our lips and tongue caress each others. Edward is thrusting inside of me and grunting against my shoulder as we both climb closer and closer to our release.

I break my kiss with Alice as I cry out in ecstasy when Edward starts thrusting sharply in and out of me. Each thrust more forceful than the last. An intense orgasm tears through me and my walls clench Edward's cock in a vice grip, milking him and sending him over the edge with me.

He pulls on my hair when his climax rips through him and it sets off another strong wave of my own. Our mixed moans and grunts, and our heavy breathing are the only sounds in the entire cabin. After he comes inside of me, we both drop back down into the chair and my grip on Alice slackens. I take a second to close my eyes and breathe deeply.

I can't physically sleep, but the intensity of the pleasure I've just felt leaves me feeling sated and calm. I'd like nothing more than to sit here for the rest of the night in Edward's embrace and revel in the feelings that are washing over me.

Sitting in Edward's arms, it's the perfect combination of fire and ice. He's so deliciously warm and soft, and I'm the ice to cool his burn. His sweat slickened skin is slippery against my back, but it doesn't bother me. He compliments me perfectly in every way, and now that I've had him, I don't ever want to let him go. It's rather selfish of me, but I can't find it in myself to care right now.

I'm tugged from my thoughts when I look up and see Alice slipping on her dress from earlier and slipping into her shoes.

"Where are you going?" I ask softly, not wanting to break the peaceful spell the room seems to be under.

"I'm going to head home. You're going to be fine," she says reassuringly, and I smile softly at her. I know she's leaving to give us a bit of privacy, but I don't want her to feel unwelcome.

"Do you want me to leave the car?" Alice asks.

"I can bring her home tomorrow. You don't need to run all that way." Edward offers.

"Thank you, Edward." Alice smiles and walks back up to us. She presses a kiss to my forehead and chuckles. "Take care of her, big guy." She gives me a pointed look and I remember that Edward and I are sitting here naked as the day we were born.

I squeeze my thighs together and cross my arms in front of myself as I scowl playfully at her. I shift slightly in Edward's lap, causing him to groan, and I feel his cock twitch against my back.

"Damn. Again?" I turn, stunned.

His face flushes scarlet and he can't meet my eyes.

Alice lets out a loud, tinkling laugh this time and starts trekking down the stairs. "He's insatiable, Bella. Perfect for you." She says with a giggle, and I quickly dart over to the railing to look down at her.

"Hey, Alice, wait!" I call down to her.

She looks up with a patient smile, but some of the light is gone from her eyes.

"Thank you." I say softly.

"Oh, Bella, you're more than welcome. After all this time, Bella, you deserve to be happy." Her voice is soft. With that, she makes her way outside, and I hear her start the car and drive off.

I want to call out to her and tell her that I _was_ happy before, or at least I think I was. I want to tell her how important she is to me, and that she'll always have a place in my heart. But I don't, and by the time I pull myself away from the railing she's already out of ear-shot anyway.

I drag my feet over to the bed and plop down gracelessly. Edward makes his way over to me and crawls under the blankets beside me.

I roll towards him and smile at his happy expression. His eyes are light, and he's never looked younger than in this moment.

"Yes?" I ask jokingly.

"I know this might seem a little late in the game, but…would you tell me about yourself?" he asks shyly.

I chuckle at his sudden bashfulness and then respond, "What exactly do you want to know?"

"Everything. I'm fascinated with you, Isabella Cullen. I'd love to know your story." he answers.

We spend the next two hours playing silly games of _Twenty Questions_ and _I've Never. _Cuddling and getting to know one another inside and out.

When the sun begins to peak out over the trees, Edward and I once again find ourselves lost in one another. Showing each other with our bodies what our hearts may never be ready to say out loud.

Instead of being hard and rough, this time it's slow and sensual. We start with me swaying back and forth slowly on his lap, and eventually he flips me over, rocking his hips against mine with slow, forceful thrusts. I come undone seconds before he finds his own rapture, and he clings to me as he dozes off.

**. . . . . . .**

As my mind wanders, deep inside, I can't help but feel that something more is going on with Alice. I feel like maybe she saw something and didn't want to tell me, or that I possibly offended her in some way. I don't like to stew over these feelings for very long, and I really don't want to wait until tomorrow afternoon to find out what is going on.

I wait until Edward's been asleep for an hour before I quietly dress and scribble a note on the stationary provided by the owner.

_Dearest Edward,_

_You looked so peaceful that I didn't want to wake you. I'm sorry to leave like this, but I needed to get home early. I'll see you soon. _

_Until then, _

_Bella_

_xxoo_

I lay the note on the pillow next to his and quickly dart downstairs. I slip out of the cottage without a sound and swiftly enter the woods. Once I'm out of the open, I take off in a dead run back toward Forks.

Running in my dress is not exactly desirable, but I put it out of my mind and push myself as fast as I can go. I'm afraid to slow down; for fear that I'll just return back to Edward and fall in bed with him all over again. I know that the more distance I put between him and myself, the better chance I have of sorting everything out with Alice, so nothing comes between our friendship.

When I finally reach the woods on the back side of our property, I slow my pace and take slow and even steps toward the house. I can tell that the others are home already from their weekend trip, and Emmett is so desperate for companionship, he's trying to talk Carlisle into playing a game of _Operation_.

_Worst game ever, by the way._

When I step through the front door, I'm greeted by Esme who wraps me in a motherly hug, and then by Rosalie who sniffs me, plugs her nose, and orders me to take a shower. I roll my eyes at her stuck up ways and make my way upstairs. Before I reach my bedroom, I knock on Carlisle's study door and peek my head inside to see how him and Em are faring.

"You're not really playing that stupid game with him, are you?" I ask, slightly surprised to see them sprawled out on the floor, hovering over the over-rated board game.

"I refuse to play that damn PlayStation, and he wouldn't leave me alone. There weren't a lot of options." Carlisle huffs back, uncharacteristically cranky.

"Jeesh, bite my head off why don't ya." I joke–slightly–and make my way into my room to shower and change.

After a nice, relaxing shower, I head back downstairs to see what everyone is up to. Carlisle suddenly asks to speak to me in the den, and we make our way in there. He closes the door to give us some semblance of privacy, even though I know that the others will be able to hear our conversation if they're trying to listen.

"So, you seem to be in a good mood." He prompts.

"Yeah...I had a good night last night." I offer, waiting to see if he pushes the topic.

"Oh really?" He baits, and I wait for him to cut to the chase.

"You sound surprised." I am getting a little impatient with his "beating around the bush" tactics.

"Well, I guess I am. I had been under the impression that you and Alice had gotten into a fight. But then you show up here, and you're happy and reek of human and sex – no offense – and I don't know what to think." he explains.

"Why would you think Alice and I were in a fight?" My stomach drops.

"She left a note saying that she was going to be gone for a little while, and that she needed to do a little soul-searching for herself while you found yourself and your happiness. And I know that she can take things a little personally sometimes, so I thought maybe you two had some words and the spat wouldn't last long. Did you know she was going to leave?" Carlisle asks after a moment.

"N-No! Absolutely not!" I stammer, completely surprised by what he's told me.

"Carlisle, Alice and I didn't fight at all. In fact, she was there for most of the night with us, but then she said she wanted to get back home early. If I had known-" I stop speaking for a moment, trying to find the words to finish the sentence.

If I had known...In a way I did know. I think deep down, my mind and heart were both telling me so many different things. Then add my body to the mix and it's a complete and total mind fuck. I should have stopped her before she left though; I knew something wasn't right last night.

I close my eyes and roughly drag my fingers through my hair, contemplating Alice's reasoning and her motives.

"If you had known, you would have tried to stop her, and she knew that, Bella. Sometimes we have no idea why Alice does the things she does, but we have to trust her. Sometimes she knows what's best for all of us, even before we do. I've never bet against Alice, Bella, and I don't intend to start now." His words are calm and wise, they make me feel better and at the same time make me feel worse.

I'd imagine it akin to having a soothing balm rubbed on already sorely burned skin. It takes the tingle away at first, but it eventually wears off and the pain resumes again.

Deep down, I know that even with my shield I'll never be able to find Alice if she doesn't want to be found. So I decide not to pursue things with Edward until I can talk to her. I owe her this much.

I also know that Alice wouldn't want me to break things off with him–or even slow them down on her behalf. I even doubt that she left because of her feelings for me, or because she's jealous that I'm with him. I truly and honestly believe that Alice is terrified of being alone. If Edward somehow became a vampire, Alice would lose me forever, and she'd be the 7th wheel.

All I can really do is avoid Edward–and school–for the time being, and pray that Alice hurries up to find her happiness, so she can come back to us.

**. . . . . . .**


	6. Chapter Six

Weeks have passed without word from Alice. I find myself sitting in her room for hours and hours just looking at her things and smelling her clothes.

She's my best friend, and I feel as though she's died. I call her cell phone every day, but it's off. The sound of her voice comforts me for a moment before the awful beep rings out and I'm forced back into a reality without her.

At nights I scour the woods, trying to pick up a trace of her anywhere, but it's no use. She isn't there...here...anywhere.

Edward has called and tried to reach me quite a few times throughout the weeks, but I leave messages with Esme and Rosalie to tell him I'll call him when I can.

I finally decide to enlist Carlisle's help in my search for Alice. I know that he's worried about her, and I also know that he'll give me my space without asking too many questions.

We decide to move our search closer to town, thinking that maybe instead of leaving Forks entirely – like we initially assumed – that maybe she could be hiding out in an abandoned or vacant house.

We catch a trail downtown that spreads through the shopping district and trails right to the Forks Diner.

When we get there, however, we realize that Alice's smell is quite faint, and is masked by a stronger, earthier smell. It doesn't take long to realize that there is another vampire running loose in Forks. Except this time, it's a Nomad.

I immediately panic. I want to run to Edward's house and pack his human ass up and get him the hell out of Dodge, but I know I can't.

Upon closer inspection of the Diner, we realize that the Nomad is actually inside with a couple of other people. It's fairly late, but the Diner stays open twenty-four hours a day to feed the guys at the Mill coming off of second and third shift. So there's usually always at least three to four people in there.

I'm so busy praying that this vile creature hasn't caught up to Alice or hurt her in any way, that I don't realize Edward is inside the Diner until it's too late. From outside, I seem him wander out of the restroom and clumsily plop down in a booth across from the dangerous demon like it's second nature. They could be old friends for all anyone else knows, but I know different.

I can hear the gush of venom the Nomad rapidly swallows as Edward enters the booth and sits across from him. I can see his crimson eyes that are currently trained on Edward's pulse point in his neck.

I can feel the tension radiating off of him in waves, ready to coil and strike like a deadly snake at anytime.

What does surprise me is the manners of this Nomad, overall, he seems polite and kind to Edward, not so much treating him like a snack – but like an actual person.

For a second, I'm excited to officially meet him.

Until one tiny moment changes everything.

Edward, who has been trying – unsuccessfully – for the past five minutes to get this Nomad to contact me for him, reaches down into his backpack to retrieve some type of book, ends up forcefully knocking his glass over. It must hit a weak spot in the glass, because it shatters across the table, spilling cold water and ice all over Edward's lap and mid-section.

Edward, without thinking, reaches forward to catch the mess, and slices himself open on the shards and chunks of glass that litter the table.

A few things happen in quick succession.

Everyone in the Diner – except Edward and the Nomad – slump in their seats, seemingly falling into a deep sleep.

The Nomad launches himself over the table; he crashes into Edward and bites down harshly on his neck.

Momentarily frozen by fear, I suddenly hear Alice screaming from somewhere near by to get inside and get Edward out immediately.

Carlisle and I take off in a dead run. I reach the building before Carlisle does, and I jump through the pane glass window closest to Edward and the rogue vampire, causing it to shatter and glass rains down everywhere.

The Nomad realizes he's outnumbered; he drops Edward's slumped body to the floor and looks for a proper means to escape. Alice is here now, and she's trying to calm down the rogue while Carlisle tends to Edward's seemingly lifeless body.

Carlisle's sad eyes look up into mine and he shakes his head. "I'm sorry, Bella, but there are only two options. I can either take his life or let him change."

An all-consuming, fiery rage sears through me, and I launch myself at the Nomad.

"You son-of-a-bitch! It should have been his choice! You have no right to bite people, to take lives, and condemn people to a world like ours! How dare you?" I scream and assault him with my hands and fists.

Suddenly, Emmett appears out of nowhere and drags me out of the Diner, kicking and screaming.

He holds me until I stop fighting him, and he tells me that Carlisle has brought Edward's body back to our house so he can complete his transformation.

He also tells me that Alice and the Nomad, who I learn is named Jasper, is at the house. Emmett makes me promise to hear everyone out, and not to attempt to kill Jasper when I go back to the house.

When we finally arrive home, I'm tempted to go back on my word and make a bon fire out of Jasper.

I step into the den to see Edward laying on a make-shift futon, writhing in pain and damp with sweat as his body burns from the inside out with the venom.

My anger bubbles just under the surface, and I only keep my temper in check because I don't want to leave Edward's side to kill Jasper.

A few hours later, Alice walks in. In true Alice fashion, she begins chirping my ear off about how she knows this was how everything was always meant to be, and while the situation isn't ideal, she can't bring herself to regret anything that has brought us here.

She tells me that Jasper is her mate, and that if I'm uncomfortable she will leave with him and only come back when I allow it.

I can't bear to send her away.

I know deep down she's right, and that it's stupid to bet against her – but I still can't help but feel immense sorrow at the life that was lost today.

But there's no denying my life has been irrevocably changed today, and in a way it's all come full circle. It always comes down to the three main things.

_Vita._ I lost my _life_, and I gained an immortal _life_.

_Amore._ I found a _love_ in Alice that led me to discover my true _love_ and mate in Edward.

_Destino. _No matter how hard I fight it, or how fast I try to run from it – _destiny_ will always catch up to me. I just need to decide whether or not I'm willing to embrace it.

**. . . . . . .**

_**The End **_

**. . . . . . .**

**xxoo,**

**Missy**


End file.
